title: Prognostic accuracy of preoperative and postoperative scintimetry after femoral neck fracture.
abstract: Forty patients with fresh femoral neck fractures treated with closed reduction and internal fixation were included in a prospective study of nonunion and osteonecrosis by preoperative and postoperative scintimetry. Correlated roentgenographic follow-up studies were continued for two years postoperatively. The aim of the study was to determine the relative prognostic accuracy of preoperative versus postoperative scintimetry. A ratio between the radionuclide uptake over the femoral head on the fracture side and the contralateral side exceeding 1.9 at the preoperative scintimetry and 1.2 at the postoperative scintimetry was associated with a high incidence of union, whereas a lower ratio often predicted subsequent complications (redisplacement, nonunion, or late segmental collapse). Prognostic accuracy was higher for scintimetry of fractures treated with closed reduction and internal fixation (0.70) than for untreated fractures (0.53). These results suggest that scintimetry is useful postoperatively to complement roentgenographic examination in assessing the prognosis of femoral neck fractures.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Karolinska Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Alberts
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D005265:Femoral Neck Fractures / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000628:therapy; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005593:Fracture Fixation, Internal; D005599:Fractures, Ununited / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology; D006622:Hip Prosthesis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008349:Manipulation, Orthopedic; D008875:Middle Aged; D011184:Postoperative Period; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011300:Preoperative Care; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011859:Radiography; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D012086:Reoperation; D013669:Technetium Tc 99m Medronate
chemical_list: D013669:Technetium Tc 99m Medronate